


Burning Up

by Lucael



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Multi, SHEITH - Freeform, band au, klance, shklance - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2019-11-26 13:41:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18181337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucael/pseuds/Lucael
Summary: Keith and Shiro are in a band and it's complicated. I mean, they're in a relationship and it's complicated, and they're also in a band? In spite of himself, Keith takes a liking to Hunk's roommate, but he has to untangle his feelings first.Inspiration for the title was Marianas Trench's "Burning Up"





	1. Lemon Eyes

Los Angeles-a city where dreams are born, and die. Twenty-one-year-old Keith Kogane pondered this as he strummed his guitar idly. He was the guitarist and back up vocals for a band, Voltron, but also a senior in college majoring in graphic design. Keith loved the band, loved performing, but graduation loomed ahead of him and he spent more and more time questioning his life choices.

For one thing, all of the band members were various ages, and various majors, and would all go on to their various lives eventually. Keith snorted to himself as he reckoned that no matter which route he chose, he would probably be a disappointment to his parents (‘If I had any,’ he muttered under his breath). Pidge, the drummer, was their youngest member: a freshman in computer science with undoubtedly a bright future ahead of her, whose brother Matt was in classes with Shiro. Hunk was on bass, a junior in mechanical engineering who met Pidge through some engineering seminars. Keith was Keith, and their lead singer also played guitar…

“Hey Keith, I’m home!”

Keith’s hand struck a rather unpleasant twang on the strings as his roommate, the lead singer of Voltron, walked into the apartment.

“Hey Shiro,” Keith sighed as he set down his guitar. The 26-year-old was a doctoral student in astrophysics but had known Keith since Keith was 14. They had both been part of the foster care system at some point, but Shiro had been a model child while Keith had been, well…not. After being moved from home to home, Keith was assigned Shiro as a counselor, and the young teenager had immediately taken a liking to Shiro and his clunky old motorcycle. 

Shiro sank onto the couch next to Keith, his backpack dropped on the floor. Keith automatically leaned into his touch as he wrapped his metal arm around Keith’s shoulders, the prosthetic still warm from the sun outside. 

“Are you ready for the gig tomorrow?” Shiro asked as metal and plastic fingers stroked through Keith’s hair. It was more of an opening for small talk than an actual question-of course, Keith was always ready. Keith hummed in affirmation.

“It’s just a small one, anyway.” They were playing at a bar tomorrow, one with enough of a dance floor to almost be called a club, but still old fashioned enough for live music. “How was class?”

“Oh, you know, we learned about planets and stuff,” Shiro waved his other hand dismissively.

“Planets and stuff?” Keith laughed, tilting his head up to meet Shiro’s eyes. “Aren’t you a doctoral student? In _astrophysics?_ I thought you would be more eloquent.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to bore you,” Shiro smirked as he pressed a quick kiss to Keith’s lips. If anyone asked, Keith and Shiro weren’t boyfriends. They became something, with the natural progression of time, but Keith would never call Shiro his boyfriend. They lived together, they were intimate, hell, they even had sex sometimes. But to Keith, Shiro was just Shiro, any labels just felt weird. And he knew Shiro felt the same. “Now, why were you looking all contemplative when I came in?”

“Just…graduation’s coming up soon, and I don’t know what I’m doing with my life,” Keith sighed. “You know, the usual. Plus, I don’t want the band to disappear…”

“Keith, babe,” Shiro murmured softly, shifting their positions and pressing Keith back against the arm of the couch. His thumb gently stroked the scar on the right side of Keith’s face that trailed from his jaw halfway to his nose. “Everything will turn out fine. You’re a great artist, and every college senior before you has been through this dilemma. And about the band…we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?”

Keith nodded and nuzzled a bit into Shiro’s hand. Keith’s own hands reached up to rub the undercut fuzz on the back of Shiro’s head, the soft prickliness oddly comforting. With the high-tech prosthetic, facial scar, and shock of bleached white hair in the middle of his forehead, Shiro looked every bit the rebellious bad boy leader of a punk rock band. But Keith knew Shiro was always like this-caring, and soft as a cinnamon roll. 

Keith’s hands tugged down, and Shiro felt Keith’s sigh ghost over his lips before they pressed together in a kiss. It was slow, languid, as sensual as it was tender. Although Shiro showed his soft side to everyone, he was the only one who got to see Keith in this vulnerable state. The snarky artist usually closed himself off to other people, and he was friendly but otherwise emotionless around the other band members. Normally, most people would be happy to be the only one to see their lover a certain way, but to begin with, ‘lovers’ was not a word that usually entered the vocabulary of their relationship, and Shiro was not ‘most people’. Shiro thought Keith was beautiful, and he wished more people would see him beyond the sarcastic, uncaring asshole he pretended to be. 

“Come on, let’s make dinner. Learning about black holes makes my stomach feel like one,” Shiro joked as he stood up, pulling Keith to his feet along with him. Keith groaned something about a dad joke before following Shiro to the kitchen.

\--

After dinner, both of them decided to tackle some homework before the busy weekend, although Keith didn’t get far before calling it a night and retreating to the bedroom to zone out in front of the TV. It was close to 11 when Shiro crawled into bed, flopping one arm over Keith’s lap and heaving a sigh into his pillow.

“My brain is fried,” he groaned.

“Come on, old man,” Keith grinned, reaching for the remote. “Let’s sleep early tonight.”

“God, I know, I’m so old!” Shiro flipped over and smothered his face in his hands. “I can’t keep up with you crazy undergrads.”

“So crazy, I’m going to sleep before midnight,” Keith rolled his eyes, but he was laughing too as he slid under the blankets. 

Shiro tugged off his prosthetic and the bed shifted as he leaned over to plug it in to charge. The bed shifted again and Keith felt Shiro press up behind him and wrap his arm around his waist before he nuzzled into his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck.

“Goodnight, Keith.”

“’Night, Shiro.”

\--

“So where is this bar we’re going to…The Castle?” Keith absentmindedly pulled up a map on his phone as Shiro slid in to the driver’s seat beside him. “How did we find this place again?”

“Friend of a friend of Hunk’s?” Shiro mused as he pulled onto the main road. “I think. Anyway, their uncle owns the place, I guess. Coran?”

“Weird name.”

“Yeah, right?”

The Castle was a short 15-minute drive away, and Shiro pulled up by the back entrance to unload. Considering the time, it was surprisingly loud inside the bar when they went in, each holding an amp and a guitar. Pidge and Hunk were already there, chatting with a rather boisterous man with bright orange hair and matching mustache, who they could only assume was Coran. 

“Keith! Shiro!” Pidge noticed them first and waved them over. 

“Oh, hello there, this must be the rest of the band!” Coran grabbed Shiro’s hand and gave it a rather vigorous shake. “So nice to meet you, I’m Coran, the owner of this place!”

Keith braced himself as he also stuck out his hand in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Coran.”

“Keith, why don’t you guys start sound check? I’ll go find a place to park.” Shiro dangled his keys from one finger as he ducked back out the door. Pidge banged out a couple of beats while Keith and Hunk got set up. By the time Keith and Hunk got their instruments tuned, Shiro was back. He got tuned up quickly and they played the instrumentals to one of their songs as the early crowd started trickling in. 

“Alright, that sounds really good guys,” Shiro beamed. “Let’s just chill out and relax until it’s time to play. No drinking yet, Keith.”

Keith put his hands up in surrender.

"You got it, chief.”

\--

It was about a half hour later, the bar still pretty calm, when they got up on the little stage. Without much notice, they started playing some slow, quiet songs for background music. Keith felt rather in his element, dispassionately picking out a repetitive melody as Shiro crooned softly into the microphone. A crescendo on the guitar followed by a sudden crash of drums got the attention of most of the bar.

“Oooooh-ooh-ooh, lemon eyes, you’re mine,” Shiro’s voice rang out clear.

“Oooooh-ooh-ooh,” Keith echoed, hand falling heavy against the strings now.

“Yellow eyes, all mine  
I bet you wanna walk away, run away, look away, turn away  
Honey you can’t hide…”

After the song faded away, Shiro looked around the bar and deemed it crowded enough to introduce themselves. Keith gave a bored wave when he heard his name called and after a round of cheering from the audience, they dove back into their set.

It was halfway through “Ocean Avenue” when Keith noticed him. Well, he noticed her first, because who wouldn’t notice all that white hair? To be specific, “she” was a black girl with long, wavy white hair and “he” was a tall, lanky, tan dude with short brown hair dancing next to her. All in all, he wasn’t that noticeable, but what struck Keith was how familiar he seemed.

“If I could find you now things would get better  
We could leave this town and run forever  
I know somewhere, somehow, we’ll be together  
Let your waves crash down on me  
And take me away, yeah…”

Keith shook himself from his reverie—he could figure out who the guy was later. He needed to focus on finishing up the set first. A few generic pop songs later, they wrapped it up. 

“Good work, team!” Shiro grinned as they tucked away their gear. “Go relax, go dance, no underage drinking!”

“Yes, dad,” Pidge and Hunk chorused in a monotone before snorting in laughter and running off. Shiro shook his head but he chuckled as he passed Keith two paper tickets. 

“Free drink tickets, from Coran,” he explained. “I’m gonna go get our payment from him, I’ll meet you at the bar.”

Keith nodded and made his way over to the bar, where Pidge and Hunk seemed to be talking to someone. As he got closer, he realized it was the two people he noticed before. 

“Keith, hey!” Hunk waved. “This is Lance and Allura! Lance is my roommate and Allura’s uncle owns this bar.”

Keith blinked. Had he ever met Hunk’s roommate? Maybe that was why he seemed familiar.

“It’s nice to meet you Keith!” Allura smiled brightly. 

“Yeah, same,” Keith shook her hand with a soft smile. It felt weird on his face but she was so friendly, it was a bit contagious. “One sec, ah—”

Keith flagged down the bartender and handed them a ticket. “Whiskey and coke, please.”

He tuned out a bit as the other four chatted next to him. For some reason, that guy Lance was still nagging him in the back of his mind. He glanced up as the bartender slid his drink over to him, and gave a curt thanks as he tipped her. He took a long sip as he gazed over at Lance, who was still engrossed in his conversation. Then suddenly, the dimly flickering lightbulb in his head snapped on.

“Wait, you’re Taylor!” Keith shouted, putting his drink down rather forcefully on the table.

“Um…no, Keith. I just told you this is Lance,” Hunk corrected, sounding confused. 

“No, no, I mean,” Keith shook his head furiously. “I…I sat behind you freshman year, in English. For some reason, I totally thought your name was Taylor…”

Allura burst out laughing at that point.

“Oh my god, Lonce, he’s talking about when you called yourself ‘The Tailor’, because—”

“Yeah, yeah, because of how I thread the needle,” Lance waved a hand dismissively, but his tanned skin was turning slightly red. Keith still looked confused. “I play a lot of video games, okay? I like to play snipers, I meant, like…I can always hit the back line by threading through…never mind...”

All of them were laughing by now, Lance included, and even Keith let out a small snort of laughter. 

“Hey babe, what’s going on?” A familiar hand fell on Keith’s waist. 

“Oh, Shiro, Shiro,” Hunk wiped at a tear. “This is Lance and Allura, my roommate and Coran's niece. But for some reason, Keith thought Lance’s name was Taylor.”

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later,” Keith sighed at Shiro’s raised eyebrow. With a shrug, Shiro took out a wad of bills and passed Pidge and Hunk their share. Feeling the discomfort of small talk coming on, Keith tucked himself into his security blanket (Shiro) and sipped his drink. After finishing that and a gin and tonic, Keith felt himself leaning unconsciously into Shiro’s side, eyelids heavy.

“Aww, is Keith a sleepy drunk? How cute!” It sounded like Allura, but Keith only gave a soft grunt in response. He felt a rumble under him as Shiro chuckled.

“Looks like that’s my cue to go. Keith, can you grab your stuff?”

Keith mumbled his goodbyes as he dragged his feet over to the equipment. 

“Wait by the backdoor, okay? I’ll go grab the car.”

Keith nodded sleepily as he picked up his guitar and amp. Chin in hand, he sat by the door, browsing on his phone until Shiro came back. Keith loaded up his things and waited in the passenger seat for Shiro, leaned his forehead against the cool glass on the window. He counted his breaths.

One…two…three…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemon Eyes - Meg Myers
> 
> Yeah I hate thinking of titles for anything so. All of the chapter titles will be song titles. I have no idea yet how long this is gonna be, but I'm just gonna go with the flow.


	2. Good Girls Go Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have a ~bonding moment~

It seemed like Keith had hardly fallen asleep at all before he was rudely awakened by harsh sunlight streaming in through a crack in the blinds. With a groan, he rolled over and smothered his face against Shiro’s back. Did Shiro carry him upstairs last night? He couldn’t remember.

“Mmm…morning,” Shiro mumbled, voice thick with sleep, as he rolled to face Keith and slung his arm over him haphazardly. Keith sighed and savored the darkness that was Shiro’s cleavage for a few more minutes before wiggling out.

“We’ve really got to get some black out curtains,” Keith grumbled as he stretched before reaching for his phone.

“Then you would literally never wake up,” Shiro chuckled. Keith briefly glanced at the time and his notifications and tossed the phone on the bed. Leaning across Shiro’s lap, he unplugged the prosthetic arm from its charger and helped strap Shiro into it. Shiro leaned forward to kiss Keith’s temple with a quick “Thanks, babe.”

“Thanks for taking care of me last night,” Keith returned, practically straddling Shiro at this point. With a rare soft smile, he pressed their lips together, giving Shiro’s bottom lip a playful tug with his teeth as he moved off him. “Come on, we’ve got morning breath combined with alcohol breath and it’s gross.”

Shiro smirked and tugged him back for a quick peck, and Keith made a mock disgusted face as he pulled Shiro to his feet.

\--

Keith scrolled through his phone as he debated if it was too late to eat breakfast. There were a few new follows on Instagram, but one in particular caught his eye: Lanceylance.

“Really?” Keith scoffed gently with a roll of his eyes, but he couldn’t stop his lip from quirking up a little bit. He scrolled back up to check his messages, and tapped on the first one, from _“Lanceylance”._

_L: Hey, I got your IG from Hunk!_

Dammit, Hunk.

_L: Your art is really good, I’m surprised. I thought this would just be all edgy band photos._

Keith unconsciously leaned against the counter to type out his response.

_K: What do you mean, surprised? I’m offended._

A seen icon appeared almost immediately, followed by a notification that Lance was typing.

_L: Ugh gross, I fatfingered my phone when the notification came up, now I look desperate._

_L: And I didn’t mean it like that, you just look like the type who’s too cool for school. No offense._

_K: I paid enough attention to know that you were in my class, so I guess I’m already ahead of you._

A shadow loomed over Keith and he looked up as he felt his space invaded and two rather large arms bracketed him in against the counter.

“What’re you smirking about over here?”

“Nothing.” Keith pocketed his phone. “Wanna get brunch? It’s too late for breakfast but I’m hungry.”

Shiro hummed his agreement.

“Alright, let’s go get some greasy but delicious hangover food.”

\--

It was Wednesday when Keith next heard from Lance.

_L: Hey, you on campus right now?_

_K: Yeah, why?_

_L: Have you eaten yet? Let’s get lunch!_

_K: Sure, I’m at the arts building right now._

_L: Don’t move, I’ll be right there!_

With a shrug, Keith took a seat on the stone steps of the building and opened Instagram to browse until Lance got there. It was probably about five minutes later when he heard his name called by a familiar voice. He looked up to see Lance waving as he jogged towards him, and he blinked, taken aback slightly at Lance’s low hanging sweatpants and loose tank top.

“Hey,” Lance grinned as he stopped at the base of the steps and shrugged his duffle bag higher on his shoulder. “Ready to go?”

Keith nodded and brushed off his pants as he stood up, leisurely making the few steps down to meet Lance.

“Which cafeteria do you want to go to?”

“I don’t really care, the closest one I guess.”

Keith fell into stride next to Lance, noticing he had to put a bit of effort into keeping up with him. Lance was just a bit taller than him, but his legs were long.

“Do you always come to school dressed like that?” Keith finally asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Mmm, not on days that I only have lectures,” Lance mused, then for further explanation, “I’m a dance major. Me and Allura.”

“Ah,” was all Keith said in response. He did see them dancing in a suspiciously choreographed fashion at the bar. Looking at him now though, it did seem to suit him. As they entered the cafeteria, neither of them said much while moving through the line. The silence between them was replaced, instead, with the eager chatter of underclassmen. The lunch rush had mostly died down, so they managed to snag a table tucked away in a corner. Keith mostly made short hums of affirmation through his food as Lance talked on about how seeing all of the bright-eyed freshmen made him feel old and jaded.

“Oh yeah,” Lance started another train of thought suddenly, leaning over the table on one elbow with his fork waving around rather dangerously. “You doing anything this weekend? Hunk’s leaving to visit his family, and Allura’s girlfriend is in town so I don’t want to hang out alone with them.”

“Well, since Hunk’s leaving…” Keith blinked and cocked his head the tiniest bit at the sudden turn in conversation. “I guess we’re not playing any gigs, so I don’t have any plans.”

“Your life is so sad,” Lance smiled with sarcastic pity, leaning his chin into his hand. “How about going to The Castle on Friday? You can bring Shiro, I’ll accept my fate as a fifth wheel as long as I don’t have to be alone with the girls.”

“I can ask him.”

“ _God,_ lighten up!” Lance flicked his forehead playfully. “I’m inviting you to drink with us, not sentencing you to death.”

Keith looked startled as he lifted a hand up to the spot Lance flicked. Before he could respond, Lance was reaching a hand out to him, palm up, and made a beckoning motion with his fingers.

“Phone. Gimme. I can’t keep messaging you through Instagram, it feels inefficient.”

Still speechless, Keith obediently unlocked his phone and handed it over. After typing in, presumably, his contact information, he slid the device back into Keith’s hands.

“Shit, I gotta run now, but I’ll text you the deets on Friday okay? See you!”

Slightly dazed, Keith raised the hand still holding his phone in goodbye, but when Lance was out of sight, a small smile crept up on his lips.

\--

Friday night found Keith alone in front of Coran’s bar, fiddling with some leather bracelets on his wrist and avoiding eye contact with anyone who walked by. His black skinny jeans were more destroyed than usual, and a hint of fishnet peeked out from underneath the cut-off _Twenty-One_ _Pilots_ t-shirt he wore tied short around his chest.

“Daanngg, _mamacita_ ,” Keith heard a familiar voice call out, and then a long, low whistle. His eyes glanced up to Lance giving him an exaggerated up-and-down. “That outfit is _fire._ ”

“Eehhh, you don’t think it’s too much black?” Keith rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“No way!” Lance grinned. “Emo sad boy aesthetic, very in right now. I like it.”

Keith scoffed as he punched him in the arm.

“Yeah, and you look every bit like a fuck boy dancer.”

Lance chuckled sheepishly as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants—again, riding low. He wore a loose cropped tank top today, so it showed off his hipbones and a sliver of underwear and abs, sweet _jesus—_

Keith stiffened a bit and blushed, hoping that Lance didn’t notice. He definitely didn’t need that stroke to his ego, but he was so skinny that Keith didn’t expect him to be—well, jacked.

“Lonce! Keith!” A familiar accent cut through the air and Keith was thankful for the distraction that Allura and her girlfriend provided. He schooled his face back to normal while Lance became preoccupied with hugging the two of them.

“Romelle, this is my friend Keith! He’s in a band with Hunk. Keith, this is Romelle!”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Keith greeted politely with a small smile.

“Likewise!” The bubbly blonde grinned brightly. “Now come on, I’m _so_ ready for drinks!”

Before following them inside, Lance turned his head back to roll his eyes and mouth “alcoholic” to Keith while pointing to Romelle. Keith stifled a short burst of laughter and shoved Lance forward through the doors.

“Oh yeah, where’s Shiro?” Lance asked as they elbowed their way up to the bar.

“He’s working on a project all weekend with Matt,” Keith supplied.

“Oof. I do not envy the grad student life.”

Lance waved a hand and got the attention of the bartender—he seemed to know them—and ordered drinks for the two of them. Allura and Romelle were already nowhere in sight, and Keith started to get the feeling he knew why Lance didn’t want to come out with them by himself. Lance took a long sip of his drink, so that it was no longer in the spilling danger zone, and nodded his head in the direction of the dance floor.

“Come on, let’s go dance!”

“I, uh…I don’t really…” Keith mumbled uncomfortably. Lance just gave him a pointed stare, and he sighed and put the straw to his lips, followed suit. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Lance beamed and grabbed his free wrist, dragging him through the crowd. There were just enough people to make it lively, without feeling claustrophobic. Now that Keith saw him up close, he really did have more rhythm than most people, even while balancing a drink in one hand. Keith swayed along to the beat, using his drink as a distraction to keep him from feeling too awkward.

The current song faded out into a sudden, blaring synth beat. Lance let out a whoop as vibrations from the bass filled the room.

_I make them good girls go bad.  
I make them good girls go…good girls go bad!_

Lance threw back the rest of his drink and started jumping to the beat, along with the rest of the crowd, fist pumping in the air. Keith laughed—actually laughed, as he got jostled by the energetic dancers behind him. Lance motioned for him to finish his drink, and he obliged, giving a mock exasperated sigh. He grimaced as half a whiskey sour slid down his throat in two large gulps, and then Lance was stacking his own cup in Keith’s. Before he could question it, Lance was in his space, with one arm resting lazily on his shoulder and the other at his waist, long fingers against his hipbone. Keith felt a gentle push and pull from his hand, moving his hips in an unfamiliar way.

“Not bad, mullet. You’re getting it,” Lance grinned as he plucked the empty cups from Keith’s hand. “Keep practicing, I’ll be right back.”

Keith nodded vaguely, never one for social situations, but he was weak to alcohol and a little too buzzed to care. He zoned out and just moved along with the people pushing up around him, until someone’s hands on his hips from behind made him bristle. Was it Lance? No, he was flirty but Keith didn’t think he would be this forward.

“Hey baby, you here alone?” Keith stiffened as a voice that definitely _wasn’t_ Lance’s spoke entirely too close to his ear. Heart rate ramping up, he pried the hands off his hips and whipped around, ready to throw fists—

“Hey babe, what’s going on?”

Now that was _definitely_ Lance’s voice, and definitely his hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith turned to face him, confused, but it clicked when Lance winked at him, sliding an arm comfortably around Keith’s waist.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Keith said as sweetly as possible. “This guy was just hitting on me. Let’s go.”

The offender rolled his eyes as Keith grabbed Lance’s arm and pulled him away. It wasn’t until he was out of sight that Keith released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Dude, you ok?” Lance faced him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve got my arm in, like, a vice grip.”

“Sorry, I panicked…” Keith muttered, quickly releasing him. “I don’t really like…people touching me like that. Thanks for the save.”

“Oh shit, I hope I haven’t crossed any lines today. People say I’m really flirty, I don’t mean it…”

Keith shook his head vigorously.

“I feel okay…with you,” he mumbled, hoping it was too dark for Lance to see the pink creeping up across his cheeks. He could always blame it on the alcohol. “I think I need another drink to calm down.”

The look of concern on Lance’s face quickly spread into a smile, and Keith swore to himself his heart was also jumpy because of the alcohol.

\--

The two of them found Allura and Romelle at some point during the night, and spent some time crammed together in one dance group on the floor. Keith was pleasantly tipsy from the two drinks, and slightly mortified to find that he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. For someone so normally stoic, being giggly drunk and being aware of it was the absolute worst. Eventually though, giggly drunk gave way to sleepy drunk, and Keith found himself outside saying goodbye to Allura and Romelle. He shivered—despite the liquid coat, the chilly California night cut right through his thin t-shirt.

“Come on, I’ll take you home.” Keith felt warm hands on his arms as Lance attempted to friction-warm him. “What’s your address? I’m calling a Lyft.”

“Mmmm…” Keith automatically leaned into Lance, seeking the warmth. “Don’t wanna go home…”

“Keith, be a good boy and tell me your address.”

Keith shook his head, but it was more like rolling it against Lance’s shoulder.

“Shiro’s not comin’ home…” Keith slurred. “Don’t wanna be alone…”

A long pause on Lance’s end. An exasperated sigh.

“Okay, if you’re not gonna tell me, I’ll take you back to my place.”

Keith just hummed his approval. Lance huffed by his ear but wrapped his arms around him regardless. They stood in silence for a few long minutes, waiting for their car.

\--

They arrived to an empty apartment—of course—it vaguely registered in Keith’s mind that Hunk was gone that weekend.

“Here, you can sleep in my room, I’ll sleep on the couch. I don’t have any extra toothbrushes but at least you can rinse with mouthwash…”

Keith grabbed at Lance’s elbow as he started wandering away. Blue eyes looked back at him questioningly.

“Can…can you sleep with me?” Keith muttered, suddenly feeling childish.

“Dude, I have a twin bed,” Lance protested, but his expression softened when Keith looked up at him with teary eyes.

“Please?” Keith’s voice was soft, trembling. “I don’t…want to be alone right now.”

Lance took in one long deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Okay but…I don’t want Shiro to kill me. He could break me with one robot arm.”

“Shiro’s not m’boyfriend or anything…” Keith mumbled, dropping his forehead to Lance’s collarbone.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a conversation for sober you,” Lance scoffed. “But for now…let’s just sleep ok?”

Keith nodded and obediently followed Lance to the bathroom, rinsed his mouth out, cleaned up, borrowed some sweatpants, and followed him back to his room. Lance crawled into bed, lifting up one edge of the blankets for Keith.

“Come here, you big drunk baby.”

Keith practically fell into bed. It felt a little weird sleeping next to someone who wasn’t Shiro, but Keith tucked himself against that lanky body in that tiny twin bed, and he swore he felt fingers stroking his hair as he easily drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship
> 
> I don't really have a set update schedule, but I'll try not to be too slow! I've been busy with school lately but I'm graduating in three weeks so maybe I'll be able to write more regularly. I don't think this will necessarily be a slow burn but I'm trying not to rush things either.


	3. Waking Up Is Hard Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro backstory in this chapter! And a...kind of confession? We're getting somewhere in any case.

Keith awoke to blessed darkness—that should have been his first warning. Instead, mind still thick with sleep, he cuddled in closer to the body next to him. If he were more awake, he might’ve noticed the limbs he was tangled up in were a lot thinner than usual. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t.

“Well, good morning, princess.” Lance’s voice. A chuckle.

…Lance’s voice.

Keith’s eyes shot open like he had been dunked in cold water, and he immediately pushed himself away from Lance and…

“Fuck!”

Onto the floor. Right, the twin bed.

“Dude, you ok?” Lance peered over the edge of the bed as Keith rubbed a growing bump on his head. Slowly, as if the bump had jump-started his brain, memories of last night started coming back to him.

“Oh my God, I was so needy last night, I’m sorry,” Keith groaned into his hands. “God, I’m so embarrassed.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” Lance smiled softly. “You…you wanna talk about it?”

It was Keith’s stomach that answered.

“I don’t mind…” he mumbled, pushing down the heat rising on his cheeks as Lance barked out a laugh. “But, breakfast first?”

\--

In the kitchen, Lance forced Keith down into a seat with a glass of water in front of him before he started pulling things out of the fridge. A sing-song order to Alexa to play “Lo-fi playlist on Spotify” filled the room with relaxing instrumentals, and Keith was grateful for the excuse not to make small talk. Instead, he sipped at his water and watched Lance dance around the kitchen. Well, it wasn’t exactly dancing, but he moved with a weird rhythm and grace that had Keith smiling as he watched.

“You…you’re smiling!” Lance bounced over and planted both hands on the table in front of him. Leaned down close to Keith’s face. “I didn’t know you could smile while sober.”

Keith rolled his eyes and swatted him away.

“The eggs are burning.”

“No, they’re not!” Lance sang as he pushed back from the table and spun towards the stove. A huff of laughter escaped Keith’s nose and he hid it by taking another sip of water, opting this time to stare out the window.

The smell of butter and grease became stronger and Keith turned as a plate of various breakfast foods slid in front of him. Lance clambered into the chair across from him, sitting awkwardly with one leg up, foot resting on the edge of the chair.

“So, eat and talk? Or eat and then talk?” Lance questioned as he stabbed a sausage.

“We can eat and talk, I don’t mind.”

“Okay, cool.” Lance spoke around a mouthful, and swallowed before continuing. “So…is it okay if I ask why you so badly wanted to stay with me last night? You always struck me as a lone wolf type.”

“I’m not sure that’s necessarily by choice,” Keith smiled wryly. “I just got used to it, but Shiro’s really all I have, and I guess I lose my reason a little when I’m drunk. Sorry about that.”

Lance shook his head.

“I’m totally fine with it, but…last night you kept saying Shiro wasn’t your boyfriend? I heard him call you ‘babe’ the first night I met you though. What exactly are you guys?”

“Wh…why is that important?” Keith stuttered, shoving a strip of crunchy bacon into his mouth. Lance readjusted himself, put both feet on the ground, and blushed a bit, though it was hard to tell with his skin tone.

“Um, ‘cause, like…I think you’re pretty cute and I want to know you better.” Lance glanced down at his plate in embarrassment, then back up at Keith to check his reaction. “I don’t want to step on any toes, or you know, be beat up within an inch of my life so…”

Oh. Well, this conversation took an unexpected turn.

“Shiro would never do that!” Keith spluttered. “He’s…he’s the nicest guy ever. And he’s, well…” A long pause, before Keith’s voice dropped a few decibels. “He’s my only family. 

\--

_Five years ago_

_Keith checked his phone for any new messages from Shiro. He clicked his tongue anxiously when he saw nothing—it had been days since he had last heard from the older boy. He started to slip his phone in his pocket when is started to buzz. Heart beat racing, he pulled it back out and checked the caller ID._

_Shiro._

_In a frenzy, he slid the call open and pressed the phone to his ear. “Shiro??”_

_“Hey, Keith…” Shiro’s voice came as a rasp on the other side._

_“Are you okay? Where are you?”_

_“I’m in the hospital…”_

_Keith’s heart stopped, and then started again as he realized he was talking to Shiro, so he was okay enough to be awake. His voice was quiet, dreading, as he asked what happened._

_“I got hit by a drunk driver a few days ago…I was lucky someone stopped to call an ambulance but my bike crushed my arm. I…might have to get it amputated.”_

_Keith’s heart sank again. “Shiro…” He swallowed thickly when he heard his voice crack. He was afraid to speak, but Shiro sounded so calm. Maybe because he was on a lot of painkillers. Probably._

_“I don’t think you can come see me yet…’m sorry, bud.”_

_“Will…will you be ok?” Keith whispered. Any louder and he was afraid he might burst into tears._

_“I’ll be fine, I’m tough,” Shiro laughed. “It’s a bit lonely, but…you should be able to come visit me when I’m stable.”_

_“Let me know right away,” Keith demanded. Shiro chuckled, which led into a cough._

_“I will, of course. I’ll talk to you later.”_

_\--_

_It wasn’t until a week later that Keith finally got another call from Shiro. He snatched up the phone eagerly._

_“Shiro, are you better now?”_

_“I lost my arm,” Shiro slurred on the other side of the line. “But they gave me this awesome robo-arm for when I heal up. I’m gonna look sweet.”_

_Relief flooded Keith-he was horrified that Shiro had to go through an amputation but at least he was joking around about it._

_“When can I come see you?”_

_“Anytime.” Shiro sounded almost giggly. “It’s the Methodist Hospital…traumatic injuries wing.”_

_“I’ll come by as soon as possible, okay?” Keith murmured._

_“Mmmkay. I love you.”_

_A click and then a dial tone. A stunned Keith. A shake of the head as he realized Shiro probably just meant it as a brother. Though he had never said he loved him before, he must really be on a lot of pain medicine. Keith sighed as he leaned against the wall in his room, hand and phone falling to the floor. He had always had a bit of a crush on Shiro, but he tamped it down because he was sure Shiro wouldn’t like a kid like him anyway. Plus, there was still the whole legality of the whole thing but…_

_Keith leaned forward to hide a smile against his knees. Regardless of the meaning, hearing the words brought a flutter to his chest._

_\--_

_Keith felt weird pulling up to the hospital on his motorcycle-especially considering the reason for his visit. Well, there was no helping it. He had no other way to get around. He passed the helmet back and forth in his hands for a moment before shoving it under his arm with a deep sigh._

_“Hi, I’m here to see, uh…Takashi Shirogane?” Keith fumbled over the name at the reception desk. The receptionist didn’t seem to notice. With a smile, she handed him a clipboard to sign in and pointed down the hallway._

_“He’ll be in room 227 down that hallway, and then take the first right.”_

_Keith nodded his thanks and headed down. He fiddled awkwardly with his helmet again before knocking twice and opening the door. Shiro was awake, propped up in bed, and he turned his head to the sound of the door creaking open. Immediately, his face split open in a grin._

_“Keith! I’m so glad you’re here oh my God I’ve been_ so _bored.”_

_Keith chucked gently and discreetly set his helmet down in a chair. Shiro didn’t seem to react to it._

_“How are you feeling?”_

_“I’m on a_ lot _of pain meds,” Shiro smiled goofily. Keith noted that the right sleeve of his hospital gown hung empty._

_“Your arm…” Keith murmured as he sat in the chair next to the bed._

_“Yeah, it’s a little inconvenient…” Shiro waved his one hand dismissively. “But at least I’m alive, right?”_

_Keith smiled sadly and laid his head down in his arms on the bed. A heavy, comforting hand came down to rest on the back of his head, ruffling his hair a bit._

_“Is it ok if I sleep here tonight?” Keith mumbled into his arms._

_“I wouldn’t mind the company.” A kind voice, filled with warmth. “Besides, we could even both fit on the bed now that I don’t have to worry about my other arm falling off the side.”_

_Keith let out a half-amused, half-horrified laugh at Shiro’s gruesome humor. He lifted his head up, leaned his chin in one hand as he gazed up fondly at the older boy._

_“I’m so glad you’re ok.”_

_A short silence._

_“I love you, Shiro.”_

_\--_

“Okay, so…you definitely love each other.” Lance had been listening intently, his empty plate pushed off to the side so he could lean forward on the table with chin in both hands.

“But we’re not dating,” Keith responded resolutely.

“Right, right,” Lance murmured slowly as he leaned back in his chair, crossed one long, lanky leg over the other.

“In any case,” Keith ground out. “We didn’t do anything, and Shiro wouldn’t be mad about some snuggling anyway. Actually, I was probably more horrified about it this morning when I woke up than he would’ve been.”

Lance gasped, splaying a hand over his chest dramatically. “Wow, _excuse_ me!”

Keith laughed, his expression softening. He leaned back as well, glancing out the window.

“I really love Shiro…” he said wistfully. “But I kind of like being around you. It’s easy to open up to you, and you make me laugh.”

“Damn, mullet.” Lance shook his head in pity. “You don’t have many friends, do you?”

Keith’s eyes darted back and narrowed at Lance. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing, nothing, please tell me about Voltron and your weird matching face scars,” Lance sputtered out quickly, changing the topic. At Keith’s raised eyebrow, he folded his hands on the table, an angelic smile on his face. Keith just shook his head and sighed.

“Me and Shiro both played guitar back in Texas. He really got into it when he was doing rehab with his prosthetic—”

“Hold up,” Lance held up a hand to interrupt him. “You guys are from Texas?"

 _“Y’all,”_ Keith corrected sarcastically. Lance pushed on.

“And please call it a robot arm, ‘prosthetic’ doesn’t do it justice and sounds weirdly formal and that’s not you.”

“Fine,” Keith snapped. “He practiced guitar a lot to help himself get used to his _robot arm_. Then we moved here when I started college, Shiro started grad school, and we started Voltron when we met Pidge and Hunk through Matt.”

“And the face scars?” Lance traced a line on his cheek, mimicking where Keith’s scar was.

“Well, probably pretty obviously, Shiro got his in the motorcycle accident. I got mine…practicing flipping a butterfly knife…” Keith trailed off at the end, breaking eye contact. The bridge of his nose felt a bit warm. There was a long silence from Lance, and then loud laughter.

“Are you for real?”

“Yes, I…I really like knives ok?” Keith blushed fully. Lance kept laughing.

“Are you going to tell me that backstory now too, while you’re at it?”

Keith got somber, which made Lance look at him curiously.

“Not today, maybe some other time.”

“Yeah, sure, cool, of course.” Lance rubbed his neck a bit awkwardly. “Anyway, uh, how about I give you a ride home?”

Keith nodded, smiling just the tiniest bit. “Thanks for taking care of me last night…and for breakfast.”

Lance’s chest tightened a little as he dumped the plates in the sink. It was hardly noticeable, really. He grabbed his keys.

“No sweat.”

\--

One short but quiet ride later, Lance pulled over on the side of the road in front of Keith’s apartment.

“Well, thanks for the ride,” Keith mumbled awkwardly, and was surprised to find him and Lance reaching for the seat belt buckle at the same time. Or rather, Lance’s hand laid itself on top of his own, stopping him from leaving. “Is…something up?”

“Mullet, I don’t know what’s going on with me,” Lance grinned lopsidedly. “You…you’re gorgeous though, and I want to spend more time with you. But I’m still terrified of Shiro’s turbo arm so…I guess I’m not really sure what to do with these feelings.”

Keith’s face burned from cheek to cheek, and he was desperate to look anywhere except at Lance.

“Look, Shiro and I never really set any boundaries.” Keith spoke slowly, like he was rolling the words around in his mouth. “I feel like…I can’t give you a response until I figure out what we are, so…” Keith swallowed. “I’ll…I’ll figure it out with him and then we can talk, ok?”

“Right, of course.” Lance retracted his hand. “Sorry if I’m coming on too strong. I usually just flirt with people, I don’t get…feelings, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Lance.”

The Cuban boy paused, stared back at Keith’s surprisingly soft eyes.

“It’s okay…I like you too. Earlier, you were wrong about me only smiling when I’m drunk. I smile all the time when I’m with you.” An awestruck look from Lance. “But I need to figure this out.”

Lance just nodded, not breaking their eye contact. Keith finally glanced away, a little flustered, and unbuckled himself. He looked back at Lance as he climbed out of the car, paused a moment.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

Lance gave a wink and a two-finger salute, and Keith gave a short huff of laughter as he drove off. Keith watched him for a few seconds before turning around to walk into his building.

Shiro was napping on the couch when he entered their apartment. His backpack leaned haphazardly against the leg of the coffee table and he was still wearing his jacket.

Keith settled down on the floor, in the crack between the couch and the table, and folded his arms on the couch. With a fond smile, Keith grabbed his nose and tweaked it gently. Shiro’s eyes shot open, and then drifted closed again almost immediately.

“Mmmm, Keith?” he mumbled groggily.

“How did studying go?” Keith played with the tuft of hair falling over Shiro’s face.

“We got carried away,” Shiro groaned, stretching his mechanical arm over his head. “But we got a lot done.”

“That’s good.” Keith hummed as he pressed a kiss to Shiro’s forehead.

“How was drinking with Lance?” One of Shiro’s eyes slowly peeked open to look up at Keith.

“It was okay, I got pretty drunk and I stayed the night at Lance’s place. We uh…shared a bed.”

“Uh-huh…” Shiro’s eye closed again and he nodded.

“Shiro…what are we, exactly?”

Both of Shiro’s eyes stared at Keith now, but they seemed unconcerned.

“Because Lance thinks we’re boyfriends, but I told him you’re my only family, which is weird because we have sex and kiss and do things that boyfriends do but—”

Shiro propped himself up on one elbow and pressed a finger to Keith’s lips to stop his rambling.

“You like Lance, don’t you?”

Keith swallowed thickly and then whispered against Shiro’s finger.

“I like Lance.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waking Up Is Hard Sometimes - a boy with a balloon
> 
> I looked up an actual lofi playlist of Spotify and this was one of the songs whose title seemed fitting for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed!


	4. Beach House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some slow development, and Lance and Keith being awkward around each other. The band has another gig, and Lance and Keith go on a date.

Shiro was silent for a long moment as his hand slowly dropped from Keith’s mouth. A shake of his shoulders as a stifled laugh escaped his lips. And then laughter – uproarious, head-thrown-back laughter.

Keith scoffed and rolled his eyes, gave Shiro’s free shoulder a shove.

“Come on Shiro, I’m being serious!” he grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Shiro chuckled, finally sitting up so he could uncross Keith’s arms. He kissed Keith’s wrist in apology. “It’s just…I’ve never seen you have a crush on someone before.”

“I had a crush on you!” Keith protested.

“True, but we just fell into this sort of relationship naturally.” Shiro patted the couch next to him and Keith crawled up onto it. “It’s nice to see you flustered.”

Keith groaned loudly and threw his head back, slapping his hands over his face. He stared up at the ceiling dejectedly as his hands slid dramatically into his lap.

“Why did I tell him I like him? That was such a dumb idea, I’m perfectly happy living with you for the rest of my life,” Keith deadpanned, more to himself than to Shiro, who swung one leg up on the couch and pulled the younger boy into his lap with a murmured “C’mere…”

Keith took a deep breath and sighed as he tucked himself under Shiro’s chin. He ran fingers up and down Shiro’s forearms looped around his waist – one warm, soft, and slightly fuzzy, the other unnervingly cold and smooth.

“While that might’ve sounded like a proposal, I don’t think that’s really what you mean – or want, right now.”

Keith remained silent, fingers trailing upwards to grip at Shiro’s biceps.

“Babe…I don’t want you to think you need to stay with me forever just because I was the only one there. But I want you to know I will _always_ be here for you. So why don’t you go on a date with Lance and see how it goes? I’ll still be here if things ever go wrong.”

Keith twisted in his arms and stared questioningly into Shiro’s eyes for a moment. He gave a nod and Keith smiled softly as he touched their foreheads together. 

“I love you, Shiro.” A gentle brush of noses. A subtle tilt of the chin so they could press their lips together.

Shiro pulled back and brushed Keith’s bangs out of his face fondly.

“Go get’em, tiger.”

\--

_K: Hey, let’s talk._

_L: Uhhhh yeah sure cool, when?_

_L: And where?_

_K: Can I come over to your place Monday?_

_L: Sure, noooo problemo. I’ve got class until 2 but any time after is fine._

_K: I’ll swing by after that then. See u_

\--

Monday afternoon found Keith in front of Lance’s door, mildly regretting his life choices for the fifth time in the past two days. With a loud swallow, he raised his hand to rap twice on the door. He could hear some muffled shuffling inside before the door swung open to reveal a surprisingly put together Lance – a conservative blue and white baseball tee and jeans indicated today was probably a lecture only day. That was all the better for Keith, whose nerves were shot already.

“Hey, come in, come in!” Lance greeted brightly, ushering Keith into the empty apartment. “Hunk is still in class for the next hour or so…”

Keith coughed nervously. “Right, um…we can talk out here. In the kitchen or whatever…”

“Right, sure,” Lance agreed easily. “Oh! Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Just water, thanks.” Keith slid into one of the stools by the breakfast bar as Lance bounced around the kitchen and came back with two glasses of water.

“So,” he beamed, climbing onto the seat next to Keith. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I did what I promised, and I talked to Shiro.” Keith fiddled with his glass as he spoke. “He said we should, well…try dating. And see where it goes from there.” A shrug as he sipped his water to cut the awkwardness.

Lance gaped a little. “So, he’s seriously fine with it? That seems a little too easy.”

“I think he thinks I’m…sheltered,” Keith frowned into his cup. “It might be true I got attached to him because he was the only person I liked back in Texas…the only person I _could’ve_ liked. I admired him. But I was a high schooler back then, and I never gave myself a chance to like anyone else.”

“Shit, mullet…” Lance’s face got serious. “Your past is so depressing. I don’t really know what to say.”

“Don’t be sad,” Keith turned to give him a crooked smile. “I’m giving myself a chance right now, aren’t I?”

“More like you’re giving me a chance,” Lance chuckled. Keith laughed back in response, the clenched feeling in his chest lightening a bit.

“I don’t really know how to do this thing, should we…go on a date sometime?” Keith ducked his head but glanced his eyes up at Lance, almost feeling shy.

“I guess we’re doing this a little out of order.” Lance rubbed his neck sheepishly. “But yeah…yeah, a date would be nice.”

A silence fell between them and they both fidgeted in their seats. It was Lance who spoke up first.

“How do you feel about the beach?”

“I actually don’t remember the last time I went to a beach,” Keith admitted. “Let’s do it.”

They sat and talked for a while longer, until Hunk bustled through the door, pleasantly surprised to see his bandmate in his kitchen.

“I should head out now.” Keith stood with a little stretch. Lance hastily followed suit as Hunk yelled a reminder about practice, and then after a pause, their gig on Friday.

“So…beach Saturday then?” Keith chuckled as Lance walked him to the door. “I’ll pick you up.”

“Sure, sounds great.” Lance smiled softly and they paused in the doorway. Keith opened his mouth, decided against it, and closed it again as he nervously tucked a stray hair behind his ear.

“Well, um…see you.”

\--

The gig on Friday was at a bar called Balmera – it was owned by Hunk’s girlfriend’s family and somehow the whole crew ended up tagging along. Matt had come by to see Pidge play and was promptly dragged onto the dance floor by Lance and Allura. They were finishing up the set when Shiro called out for requests and Keith unmistakably heard Lance’s voice yell from across the room.

“Play something country!”

Shiro raised an eyebrow and looked to Keith in confusion, who just shrugged.

“I may have told him we’re from Texas.”

“Well, I guess there’s nothing to be done, then,” Shiro said pointedly. Keith sighed.

“I guess not.” He cracked his knuckles, and then his neck, twice, for good measure. Then, a nod to Shiro, who took a big inhale before leaning into the microphone.

“If it hadn’t been for cotton-eye Joe, I’d been married long time ago,” Shiro’s voice echoed alone through the bar, laced with an overly fake country twang. “Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, cotton-eye Joe?”  

Keith jumped in, fingers strumming lightning fast over the guitar strings, followed by Pidge and Hunk with the beat. Shiro took over the guitar part as Keith pitched his voice into a falsetto to sing the girl’s part, and screams rose from the crowd. They traded off like that, back and forth, as the bar patrons started to clap along. The song ended the same way it started – with Shiro’s voice echoing alone through the venue, partially covered up by whoops and shrieks.

“You know what, I’m not even mad, that song is unironically a bop,” Shiro grinned breathlessly into microphone. Keith pulled his guitar over his head and set it aside as Shiro high-fived a few fangirls who were reaching their hands on stage, and announced the end of their set.

Lance whistled as they made their way over.

“That was weirdly amazing. I didn’t think it was physically possible for human fingers to move that fast.”

“It wasn’t made for guitar, that’s for sure,” Keith muttered as he shook his hand out. “Also, Shiro technically does not have human fingers.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure if that makes it more or less impressive,” Pidge nodded in agreement.

Finally, Shiro came back after extracting himself from the fangirls and he, Keith, Lance elbowed their way to the bar while the rest of the group found a booth to relax in.

“Hi, Shay,” Lance waggled his eyebrows as he leaned on the countertop.

“Hi, Lance.” Shay rolled her eyes but still laughed. “What can I get you guys?”

“How about…five long islands and uh, two waters?”

 _(“Are you_ trying _to get us fucked up?”_

_“Dude, it’s most bang for your buck!”)_

A slightly nauseous looking Keith and a sheepish Shiro followed Lance back to the table with drinks in hand. Hunk jumped up to take the two waters balancing precariously in Lance’s hand as the three of them slid in the booth.

“Long islands all around!” Lance cheered, passing them around the circle. He sidled up to Keith, arm brushing against his. Keith started a bit, hoping it wasn’t noticeable (to either Lance, or Hunk on his other side). If Hunk noticed, he was too nice to say anything, bless his heart.

“To another successful gig!” Allura lifted her glass cheerfully and the din of the room was momentarily drowned out by the clinking of glasses. Keith settled into his drink, occasionally interjecting into the conversation, but for the most part just listening and trying to avoid as much awkward contact with Lance as possible. Halfway through his drink, he jerked upright as he realized he was starting to lean against Lance.

“Feeling sleepy?” Lance asked in a low voice.

“Yeah, a bit,” Keith mumbled as he pushed his drink away. “Whoever wants that can have it, I can’t be hungover tomorrow.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Matt grinned from his spot across from Shiro and slid the glass in front of himself.

“You can lean on my shoulder if you want, I don’t mind.” Lance smiled, and there was nothing ulterior about it. Keith hesitated, and then slowly let his head rest against Lance’s arm.

He wasn’t sure if he fell asleep or not, but it seemed like quite a while later when Lance gently shook him awake. The band started packing up their things and the crew said their goodbyes as they left in their respective groups. Hunk said goodbye to Shay before heading out with Lance and Allura, Pidge and Matt left together, which left Shiro and Keith. They parked close, so Shiro grabbed the guitars and Keith grabbed the amps to make the short walk back to the car.

“So…how’s it going with Lance?” Shiro’s voice, in his defense, held only a hint of teasing.

“We’re going to the beach tomorrow,” Keith mumbled, voice barely audible as he stared out the window. Shiro commented that it sounded fun, to which he only grunted in response. The rest of the trip home went in silence.

\--

_K: Hey, you awake yet?_

_L: Yeah, I just got up._

_K: Ok, I’ll swing by soon. Pack light._

_K: And wear a jacket._

_L: Pack light? Why?_

_L: …Keith??_

Keith called for Lance to come down when he arrived at his apartment, his motorcycle rumbling between his legs. Lance had indeed done as he was told, as he came into view wearing a hunter green jacket with a white hood and an orange stripe on each sleeve. A small drawstring bag hung across his back.

“Ho- _oh_ no, you did _not_ tell me we’d be taking a bike!” Lance exclaimed as he realized the situation. “After Shiro’s accident, should you even be riding that?”

“Whose helmet do you think this is?” Keith scoffed as he held out the black helmet he was holding under his arm.

“…Yours?” Lance guessed hesitantly.

“I don’t need two helmets.” Keith motioned for Lance to come closer, and shoved the helmet over his head. “It’s Shiro’s. He still rides sometimes.”

Lance shook his head and muttered something in Spanish, but swung a leg over the bike behind Keith regardless.

“Better hang on tight, it’s gonna be a long ride,” Keith grinned as he kicked up the brake.

“You motherfucker,” Lance grumbled, but his arms still tightened around Keith’s waist. A blush rose on Keith’s cheeks as he felt Lance press up against his back, could feel his heartbeat fast against his shoulder blade. He didn’t bother fighting it down, the helmet covered everything anyway, but he hoped his own heartbeat wouldn’t give him away.

“This isn’t so bad,” Lance’s voice spoke muffled close to his ear. Keith revved the engine just to taunt him before speeding up onto the highway ramp. The volume of Lance’s scream rose along with the volume of the engine, and his arms squeezed even tighter. Keith laughed as they hit highway speed, and Lance eventually calmed down. Weaving in between the cars, it was barely half an hour when they got off the highway and were able to see the ocean.

Keith slowed to a stop near the beach, and helped a shaky Lance down from the bike. His eyes were bright, though, when he pulled off his helmet.

“That…was awesome!” Lance beamed, his face flushed from being under the helmet. “I’ll admit, driving along the beach on a bike is way different from in a car.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Keith chuckled as he locked the helmets to the bike. He pulled his own bag out from under the seat. “Well…let’s go then.”

It was a warm day for February, and although the beach wasn’t packed, there were a fair amount of people splashing around in the water.

“You know, for some reason I didn’t really peg you as a beach person,” Lance commented as they walked around, looking for a place to set up camp.

“My parents really liked it, apparently,” Keith shrugged. “Back in Texas, we lived pretty far inland, so I guess they didn’t go very often.”

“Oh,” was all Lance said, as his step faltered a bit. Keith looked back at him questioningly.

“Is something wrong?”

“I guess…you mentioned Shiro was your only family, right? But it sounds like…you knew your parents.”

Keith dropped down onto the sand in the shade of an abandoned umbrella. With a sigh, he looked up at Lance and patted the ground next to him. Lance hurriedly obliged.

“Let’s get to know each other,” Keith smiled wistfully as he stared out towards the water. The ocean breeze whipped his long hair around, and he reached up to tie it back into a ponytail. Lance just stared, mesmerized. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, one hand inching towards Keith’s in the sand.

“Yeah…yeah, that sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beach House - Chainsmokers
> 
> I kind of broke the chapter title pattern but I really didn't want to name this chapter "Cotton Eye Joe."


	5. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach date, Keith's sad backstory (part one), and sleepover part two.

“I never knew my mom,” Keith admitted, tone wistful. “My dad was a firefighter, and he died on the job when I was eight. He never told me much about my mom when I was alive but…well, about a year before he died, he gave me a letter. Told me never to show it to anyone, and to only read it if something happened to him.”

Lance’s fingertips just barely brushed against Keith’s as his brows furrowed together. Keith bit his lip and let it curl out slowly before continuing.

“I was a little pissed at that letter…he must’ve written it knowing he could die in a fire any day. My mom already left us, but he still wrote that knowing he might leave me behind too.” Keith shook his head and huffed out a long sigh through his nose, tilting his head back to glare at the sky. “I know he must’ve saved a lot of lives but…” he trailed off.

“Was the letter about your mom? What did you find out?” Lance asked in a hushed voice.

“She was a total badass,” Keith laughed, though it bordered on bitter. “She was a rebel, spying on the Italian mafia. Somehow my dad found her while she was on the run, all the way over here in America, and then I was born.” A wry smile. “But she had to leave. To protect us. I don’t know what happened to her.”

“Holy shit,” Lance breathed, awe on his face. “That’s…I feel kind of guilty for having such a big, normal family.”

Keith’s fingers clutched tightly around his.

“Please don’t. Tell me about them, I want to hear.”

A fond smile grew on Lance’s face as he talked about his parents, siblings, nephews and nieces. Keith couldn’t keep the names straight but the mood was contagious, and he found himself smiling along as Lance started waving his hands around animatedly.

“My family lives in Miami so I don’t get to see them a lot, but we’re super tight,” Lance grinned. “I’m glad I came out to Cali though, Florida’s such a swamp and the only good thing about it is Disneyworld.”

Keith chuckled at Lance’s clear disdain for his home state, and dug his toes into the sand. He flinched a bit at the sudden burn but didn’t retract his feet.

“It’s getting hot.” Keith pushed the sand around with his feet, as if to prove a point. “Want to get food and then go for a dip?”

Lance beamed and leapt up in response.

-

Half an hour and one food truck meal later, they had changed into swim trunks and Lance was busy trying to convince Keith he couldn’t swim immediately after eating.

“Why not?” A look of genuine confusion spread across Keith’s face.

“It’ll make your stomach hurt, dumb-dumb!”

Keith’s head cocked to the side.

“Oh my God, are you a child?” Lance laughed with a shake of the head. “You surf?” A nod. “Let’s go rent some boards, yeah? By the time that’s all settled we’ll be good to go.”

Keith wasn’t great at surfing. To be honest, he ate it more often than not, but he spent much of the afternoon resting his arms on his surfboard so he could watch Lance. Lance, who looked like he belonged on the water, with beautiful tanned brown skin and eyes the color of the ocean. His face was split wide with a grin as he rode the waves effortlessly. Keith shook his wet bangs out of his face as he realized he was thinking embarrassing things and clambered back onto his board. He got better as the day went on, determined to put weird thoughts about Lance out of his head.

The sun was starting to dip in the sky when they dragged their soon-to-be-sore bodies out of the ocean.

“Hey, you’re not bad!” Lance punched Keith’s shoulder gently as they brought the boards back up the beach. Keith winced as he remembered his numerous belly flops from earlier that day.

The sky was just starting to turn a hint of orange by the time they changed and got back to Keith’s bike. Lance was calmer, now that he knew what to expect. After spending the day bonding, Lance’s arms around his waist felt less foreign, but more exhilarating at the same time.

“Thanks for the ride!” Lance was less shaky than the first time when they pulled in front of his apartment, and managed to get off by himself. He handed off his helmet. “I had a lot of fun today.”

“Me too.” Keith’s expression was hidden under his helmet but the smile reached his eyes. Lance fidgeted a bit as Keith stowed the extra helmet under the seat and started to get back on the bike. 

“Hey, um…” The red paint of the bike flashed like fire in the setting sun as its owner shifted, and Lance made a determined grab at the sleeve of Keith’s jacket. “It’s still early. Do you maybe wanna…come inside for a bit?”

Keith paused, considering, before reaching up and removing his helmet, and killed the engine before looking up at Lance. The subtle, soft smile on his lips had Lance’s heart melting.

“Sure, I’d like that.”

\--

Hunk was home that night and the three of them broke open beers and let vine compilations stream on the TV as background noise as they talked. Occasionally, a video would catch one of their eyes and they would risk snorting beer out of their nose, which would lead to the other two attempting not to snort beer out of their noses. Keith ended up losing track of time, and beers, and by the end of the night, both Hunk and Lance were trying to convince him not to go home.

“I’m perfectly fine to go home,” Keith protested as he reached for his jacket in Hunk’s grasp.

“Nuh-uh,” Lance shook his head while holding Keith back by the shoulders. “We both know how bad you are with alcohol. Plus, you want to get on that death machine in the middle of the night? No way.”

 “I’m gross from the beach,” Keith tried again, pouting.

“You can borrow my shower, and some clothes,” Lance grumbled loudly, pushing Keith towards his bathroom. Hunk was still holding his jacket, and thus his keys, captive, so Keith finally gave in and resigned himself to his fate.

Lance turned on the shower for him before running off. While Keith was waiting for the water to heat up, Lance returned with a change of clothes.

“Uh, there’s a pair of boxers in there, too, if you want,” he mumbled awkwardly as he set the stack of clothes and a towel on the counter. He ducked out before waiting for Keith’s response, which was all the better for Keith, because his cheeks started to feel a little warm, and not because of the alcohol or the steam from the shower.

Keith showered quickly, though he did take some time to admire Lance’s rather expansive collection of bath products. He ended up slipping on Lance’s boxers, because he didn’t want to ruin a fresh shower by re-wearing his, and he also wasn’t ready to free-ball it in Hunk and Lance’s apartment. He side-eyed the tank top and basketball shorts before putting them on – even if they were a bit too “jock” for his tastes, he had to admit they were rather comfy.

Keith re-entered the living room, toweling off his hair, with a cloud of steam billowing out behind him. A chuckle brought his attention to Lance, who was just getting up off the couch.

“What?” Keith deadpanned, dropping his hand to his hip with the towel still draped over his head.

“Nothing, that’s a cute look on you,” Lance teased as he walked over to him. “I’m gonna go shower, too, you can just chill in my room if you want.”

Keith took the suggestion as Lance walked into the room he just walked out of. He plugged in his phone and sat on Lance’s bed, idly scrolling, a bit more nervous than last time because he wasn’t nearly as drunk. Now that he had time to take in his surroundings, the room smelled heavily like Lance. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on, but was a musky smell somewhat reminiscent of something earthy.

Lance took long showers, as he discovered. It was a solid half hour later when Lance finally walked back into his room, something green covering the majority of his face.

“What is that?” Keith exclaimed, laughing heartily.

“Don’t laugh, it’s a face mask!” Lance scoffed. “The ocean air is _not_ good for the skin. You could use one too, if I’m going to be honest.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Keith giggled and then composed himself. “I uh…really don’t want to put green goop on my face though.”

Lance rolled his eyes and picked a small white container off his desk. He beckoned for Keith to come closer, and he obeyed, sitting himself on the edge of the bed as Lance unscrewed the lid and swiped a bit of fluffy white lotion onto his fingertips.

“Come here,” Lance smirked as he set the lotion down and grabbed Keith’s chin with his free hand. He used the other to streak the lotion on either side of Keith’s face and across his forehead and began to work it into his dry skin. Keith squinted one eye as Lance’s thumb rubbed along his cheekbone and he glanced up to see if he could take Lance any more seriously with the face mask now. He couldn’t.

He hid a snicker behind his fist as Lance rolled his eyes and reached up to peel the mask off. Silliness aside, his skin did look rather smooth and glowing now.

“Can I feel?” Keith asked, and Lance looked victorious as he leaned down close to Keith’s level. Keith cupped his face in both hands, running his thumbs over baby-soft cheeks.

“Keith, you’re really tempting me right now, you know that?” Lance chuckled, eyes slipping closed.

“What do you mean?” Keith’s hands didn’t falter, but there was a challenging tone to his voice that implied innuendo wasn’t beyond him.

“You’re wearing my clothes,” Lance’s eyes drifted open and bored into Keith’s. “In my bed…touching all over my face…”

“All things you invited me to do,” Keith smirked, lowering his hands to rest behind Lance’s neck.

“I know, so I’m trying real hard to hold myself back right now,” Lance growled. A tiny bit of heat began to curl in Keith’s stomach, and he forced it to uncurl, remembering who was just one room away.

“You don’t have to.” Keith egged him on regardless.

“Shit, Keith…” Lance swore, and dropped one hand to the bed so he could lean into Keith’s space and kiss him fully on the lips. They pulled apart after a few long seconds, foreheads still pressed together but unwilling to look each other in the eyes, hearts pounding uncontrollably. It was Keith who raised his arms so they locked around Lance’s neck and tugged him back in, and down, down, down…

Lance braced one knee against the edge of the bed in surprise, but slowly climbed on top of Keith once he found his footing. Holding himself up by the elbows, he gave a gentle lick and then tug at Keith’s bottom lip, which incited the quietest huff of a moan as Keith opened his mouth for him. He gave a few exploratory licks before pulling back to gaze down at a slightly disheveled Keith, hair splayed across the bed and a hint of pink bridging his nose.

“Let’s not go too far,” he murmured regrettably. “I feel weird with Hunk right there.”

“Agreed,” Keith nodded, a bit breathless. Lance sighed happily and leaned down to open-mouth kiss at a spot just below his ear before rolling to the side. “Let’s just sleep.”

They rearranged themselves on the bed so they were laying the right way, and Keith tucked himself into Lance so they could fit as comfortably as they could on the twin bed. Feeling soothed by the warm body wrapped around him, Keith lay there and breathed in Lance’s smell, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Date - Blink 182
> 
> Okay okay things are moving along nicely now. Also yeah Hunk is underage but Lance doesn't seem the type to deny his almost-of-age bud a beer in their own home so cracking open a cold one with the boys it is.


	6. Alone Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finally confides in Lance about his past, but he's having second thoughts on their relationship

_“Keith…Keith, hi baby…I missed you so much.”_

Keith felt warm as the voice drifted around him, echoing slightly as if it were far away. He could see a woman’s face right in front of him though, blurry and clouded, as if faded by time. Two gentle hands caressed the sides of his face and he closed his eyes, leaning into it.

_“Sweetie, I have to go now. I’m so sorry. I love you.”_

He let out a shuddery breath as the hands left him, and the image started to fade away. He reached after her desperately, tried to shout but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth.

“No…no, mom! Don’t leave me!” Finally, the words came out, but they sounded foreign, like they were spoken by someone else. And then, all of a sudden, he started to get warmer – no, hot. Unbearably hot, and the roar of a fire surrounded him.

 _“Hey there, kiddo.”_ A subtle southern accent that brought with it a sense of dèja vu.

“…Dad?” Keith croaked. He flinched as something crackled and fell close behind him – they were in a house, he realized, and that house was burning down. His dad just smiled, pat his head with a heavy hand, like he was a child. “Dad…please don’t. Don’t leave me…”

His dad just ruffled his hair one last time before turning to walk straight into the flames. With a shout, Keith chased him, but his legs felt like bricks. His vision slowly faded to black, and then he was falling.

-

The split-second sensation of his stomach bottoming out jerked Keith awake, his heart pounding and chest heaving as he gathered his bearings. Unconsciously, he curled himself farther into Lance’s chest, and the other boy stirred and lifted one hand to lay on Keith’s head.

“…Lance?” Keith whispered after some silent deliberation.

Lance hummed groggily. Keith bit his lip and squeezed Lance’s shirt in his fist. “You okay?” Lance pushed him away a little so he could look at this face, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“Just a bad dream,” Keith murmured, averting his eyes. Lance allowed him to rebury his face in his chest, and stroked calming fingers through his hair.

“You want to talk about it?”

A shake of the head. “Maybe tomorrow.” Tucked against Lance’s chest, his nose naturally filled with his scent. A kiss to the top of his head felt strangely intimate, and even though it wasn’t exciting, his heart fluttered and made his breath come out as a shaky exhale.

He didn’t fall asleep again for a while.

-

When Keith woke again, it was still dark, but a glance at the clock hanging above the door told him it was already well into the morning (he made a mental note to ask Lance where he got his curtains). He turned his head towards Lance just to stare into his blue, blue eyes. They smiled along with his lips as he offered a “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Keith blushed. “Have you been awake long?”

“Mmmm, maybe ten minutes?” Lance pondered. “You seemed restless last night, so I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Yeah, I didn’t sleep too well,” Keith confessed through a yawn. “Can I…talk to you about it? Over breakfast maybe?”

Lance beamed back at him. “Let’s go see if Hunk is awake.”

Of course, Hunk was awake, being infinitely more responsible than either of them, with telltale smells of pancakes drifting from the kitchen before they even saw him. Despite his protests, Lance sat him down firmly at the bar counter with a glass of orange juice before helping Hunk finish up.

“House rules, hosts cook, guests shut their pie hole and enjoy Hunk’s delicious food.”

“How can I eat if my pie hole is shut?” Keith raised an eyebrow as Lance rifled through the cabinets for plates and maple syrup.”

“You…!” Lance whipped around to gape wide-eyed at him while Hunk covered his mouth with a fist to turn his laugh into a cough. “Don’t get cheeky with me!”

Minutes later, a picturesque plate of pancakes was placed in front of him, aesthetically piled with strawberries and whipped cream with a little drizzle of syrup.

“Alright, I’m gonna head out for a bit,” Hunk announced as he dried his hands on a dish towel. “You guys enjoy.”

“You aren’t going to eat?” Keith looked after him in confusion as he walked towards the door.

“I already ate earlier,” Hunk assured him, and then he was out the door and it was quiet again.

“He does this almost every weekend.” Lance’s voice had almost a dreamy tone. “Best roommate ever. Shay’s so lucky.”

Keith nodded, having had Hunk’s desserts on occasion before. He lifted a hefty bite to his mouth and let out a pleased hum at the sweet and fluffy morsel.

“Shay’s so lucky…” Keith seconded, fork still hanging out of his mouth.

Lance let him eat a while longer before giving him a pointed look.

“You want to…talk about last night?”

Keith swallowed his current mouthful and fidgeted as he thought about what to say.

“I have this reoccurring dream…” Keith started. He told Lance about his parents – about the mysterious woman he only knew from photos as his mom, about his dad who always walks straight into the fire in his dreams.

“You know how I told you I really like knives?” Keith reminded him, and Lance leaned his chin in his hand curiously with a little nod. “The only thing I have from my mom is this knife…more like a dagger? It’s got this beautiful purple gem in the hilt, with a weird symbol on it. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember, and well…after a while I just became fixated with knives.” Keith trailed off at the end, shoving another heap of pancake into his mouth to cover up his embarrassment. Lance didn’t laugh at him, though.

“Is that why you didn’t want to be alone the other night?”    

“Maybe…” Keith mumbled around a mouthful of food. Swallowed. “I was too drunk to remember.”

Lance smiled at him softly across the table, and Keith appreciated that it wasn’t full of pity. They chattered on about mundane things while they finished their breakfast, and Keith helped Lance with the dishes before packing up to leave.

“Lance…thank you.” Keith fumbled with his helmet as the two of them stood around his bike. “It was nice to talk to someone else about…all of this.”

Lance smiled warmly with a little tilt of his head. “I’m glad you could trust me enough to tell me.” With a small blush, Keith leaned over to kiss him quickly before shoving his helmet over his head. With an awkward wave and a rev of the engine, he was gone.

-

That night, Keith sat across from Shiro, idly pushing his food around on his plate. His brows furrowed in thought and he didn’t say a word.

“Everything okay, Keith?”

Keith’s fork twitched as he started, and then his whole body stilled.

“I’m okay,” he murmured, though he kept his body hunched over his plate, knowing he couldn’t look Shiro in the eyes and lie. “Um…let’s talk after dinner.”

He scarfed down the rest of his food as Shiro watched on with a concerned look in his eyes. The scrape of chair legs against the floor echoed loudly in the kitchen as Keith got up robotically and excused himself. He sat on the couch with a million thoughts running through his mind as Shiro finished his dinner out of the corner of his eye. The floorboards creaked as Shiro dumped his plates in the sink, but Keith didn’t even notice until the couch shifted and Shiro was sitting right next to him.

“What’s going on?” Shiro’s voice wasn’t condescending, or pitying. That was one of the things Keith liked most about him-he always knew how to talk to him.

“I’m scared,” Keith murmured, leaning over until he fell against Shiro’s shoulder. “I…like Lance. But I can’t leave you behind either. It just…doesn’t feel right.”

“What if you ask Lance if he’d be comfortable in an open relationship?” Shiro suggested, rather helpfully. But Keith just straightened up, shook his head as he sank back into the couch.

“I can’t ask for so much…it’s not fair to him.” Keith leaned over, pressed his nose against his index fingers, his palms flush together in thought. “I don’t know what to do, Shiro. He doesn’t deserve to get hurt just because I’m fucked up.”

Shiro sighed deep through his nose and lay one arm over Keith’s shoulders.

“You are not fucked up.”

“I am, a little bit,” Keith said meekly, shifting his eyes but not his face towards Shiro.

“I think Lance is good for you,” Shiro tried again.

“You’re good for me, too!” Keith huffed loudly at the end, finally twisting his neck to look at Shiro fully. _You’re fucked up like me, too._

They stayed caught in a staring match for a full minute before Shiro sighed and dropped his gaze.

“Just think about it a little more, okay?” he whispered, and brushed his thumb across Keith’s cheekbone before kissing him on the forehead. Keith just nodded. Shiro got up and left, and Keith simply sat there, for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been pretty busy the last few weeks. It's a bit short too, but we're probably past halfway done now!
> 
> -
> 
> I don’t know where you’re going but do you have room for one more troubled soul?
> 
> Alone Together - Fall Out Boy


	7. Do It Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Shiro's birthday, and Keith and Lance take their relationship a step further.

Midterms came, and along with them, the end of the month and Shiro’s birthday. Over the years, their gatherings grew in size, starting with just Keith and Shiro their first year, then adding on the rest of the band and Matt, and this year, Lance, Allura, Romelle, and Shay. Keith himself had just finished off two design projects, an animation, and a 3D model before immediately collapsing on the couch to nap off his eyebags. A dreary looking Shiro trudged a few hours after and fell onto the couch with a grunt, not even bothering to move Keith’s legs.

“Happy birthday,” Keith mumbled blearily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up to make room for his roommate.

“Thanks bud.” Shiro leaned over to ruffle Keith’s already messy hair, looking tired but still quirking one side of his lips up in a smile.

“Everyone wants to go out tonight,” Keith yawned. “But I’m so tired…”

“Yeah, I’m beat,” Shiro agreed. “But it’s been a while since everyone went out together, right? Plus, after finals is a good time to go. Let’s rest up for now and have a good time tonight.”

Keith grumbled and flung his face back into the pillows, but he didn’t say no. Of course he couldn’t, not on Shiro’s birthday. Hell, he could hardly say no to him on any regular day.

“Come on, let’s go lay on the bed.” The couch shifted as Shiro stood up. “It’s not comfortable out here.”

Keith just grunted, eliciting a heavy sigh from the other man. This time, even though he didn’t say no, Shiro just let him be.

-

The sun was setting when Keith awoke to the muffled sound of Shiro’s alarm blaring in the other room. Feeling not really refreshed, but at least awake enough to go out, Keith trudged to the bedroom to change his clothes. He cursed at his bed-hair in the mirror and contemplated his straightener for a few solid seconds before reaching for a ponytail holder. He could see Shiro in the mirror behind him buttoning up a rather tight shirt, and he finished tying his hair quickly so he could help him roll up his sleeves. His jeans were less proper, filled with rips from the upper thigh down to the knee. Keith’s own jeans were rather destroyed as well, but he shrugged on his usual leather jacket over a black Metallica t-shirt.

They had all agreed to meet up for dinner at a place near campus – it was never too busy and it was easy to seat big groups there. Hunk, ever punctual, was already there when they arrived, and he had brought along Shay and Lance in tow. The rest of the group arrived in pairs, and showered Shiro with hugs and happy-birthday’s on their way to their seats. They ate and talked until they were toeing the line of overstaying their welcome before deciding to move to The Castle. The underaged ones (Hunk, Pidge, and Shay) said their goodbyes at this point and the two groups went their separate ways.

“Sorry Shiro, not to upstage your birthday, but the real reason I’m out tonight is because finals are over and I’m getting _wasted.”_ Matt dragged out the last word in a singsong as he threw an arm over Shiro’s shoulders. Then, as an afterthought, “It’s not even your real birthday anyway, technically.”

“When is Shiro’s birthday?” Lance wondered from beside Keith.

“It’s the 29th,” Keith supplied.

“Oh.” He could see the gears turning in Lance’s head. “Oh! Neat.”

Allura let them in through the back of the bar, and Matt and Romelle immediately made a beeline for the counter. Nearly just as immediately, they came running back with three shots each.

“To Shiro!” Romelle exclaimed cheerfully as she doled out two of her shots.

“To the death of finals!” Matt yelled as he mirrored her. With a chorus of cheers followed by the clink of glasses, the six of them threw their shots back in unison. Matching grimaces went around the group as Matt collected shot glasses.

“That one was on the house, courtesy of a Mr. Wimbledon-Smythe,” Matt waggled his eyebrows. “Which means…come on Romelle, time to get more! Everyone’s buying a round today!”

Romelle whooped and ran after him. The rest of them slowly meandered their way over to the bar as they talked, and even Keith was starting to feel a little more energized. They took turns buying shots in between rounds of dancing, and before long, they were all six shots in. At some point in the night, more drunk than not, Keith found himself dancing with the birthday boy. Their hips were grinding together and his hands were starting to feel rather comfortable on Keith’s lower waist when Keith suddenly and loudly announced that it was his turn to buy shots. Allura was the last one to buy, and by then, Keith was dangerously close to forgetting the rest of the night, but he stayed conscious enough to dance with Lance.

 _What you doing with my head?_  
_I may let you go ahead_  
 _But you gotta do it right, right, right_  
 _Show me that you'll make us spin_  
 _If I let you try again_  
 _Boy, you gotta do it right, right, right_

To be honest, Keith wasn’t sure if he would rather be unconscious or not, considering the way Lance’s hands were moving over his hips, their bodies flush from shoulder to upper thigh. Keith could feel something semi-hard pressing up against his backside, and he was drunk enough to lift a hand to cup encouragingly at the back of Lance’s neck, but not drunk enough to not feel the way his face heated to dangerous levels.

 _Oh_  
_Come on over_  
 _Oh_  
 _Let's get together_  
 _Come on, turn the lights down_  
 _See there's no rewind now_  
 _Let's cross the line_  
 _Show me yours, I'll show you mine_

Keith turned around and looped both arms around Lance’s neck, leaned in and practically shouted over the music, “Let’s sit down for a bit!”

“What??” Lance yelled back.

Keith jerked his head towards a booth in the corner and Lance chuckled and mouthed “Okay.”

Lance grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd, dodging toes and elbows until they made it to the booth.

“You feeling okay?” Lance cupped Keith’s face as they sat down. “You’re looking a little red. I know you’re a lightweight…”

“I’m still conscious,” Keith mumbled, swatting his hands away. He didn’t want to tell him the real reason why his face was red.

Lance chuckled and leaned his elbows on the table. “Hey so…Hunk went to Shay’s tonight.”

“O-oh…is that so?” Keith leaned his face into his hand so that the bottom half of his face was covered. “I’d feel bad ditching Shiro on his birthday but…maybe Matt will hang out with him.”

The Cuban boy raised an eyebrow suggestively at him across the table. Keith blushed and ducked his head, looking out onto the dance floor instead.

“Hey, do you think those two ever…you know?”

Keith’s eyes flitted over to where Matt and Shiro were dancing together like idiots. “Nah, I don’t think so. Besides, I’m pretty sure Matt is straight.” Keith paused and then looked back to Lance. “Was it…weird that I was dancing with Shiro earlier?”

“Hm?” Lance cocked his head to one side, thinking. “Maybe a little? But to be honest, I thought you two were officially dating before, so I almost feel more weird dancing with you in front of him.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Keith laughed softly.

Lance let out a singular huff of laughter and shook his head. “You…you’re really beautiful when you smile like that, you know?”

Keith stared at him with eyes wide in surprise, for just a split second, before registering what he said and hiding his face his embarrassment.

“No, don’t hide!” Lance laughed and tugged Keith’s hands away from his face.

“It’s embarrassing,” Keith complained, his voice taking on a whiny tone.

“Heh…cute.” Lance just chuckled and pulled Keith forward for a kiss. He didn’t protest this time, though his heartrate was almost loud enough to hear, and only backed away when Lance did.

“I’ll, um…see what Shiro’s plans are, okay?” Keith coughed, breaking eye contact. Lance finally let go.

-

Late into the night, they started tapping out, starting with Matt and Shiro (“We’re old, let us rest!” Matt had whined). With a knowing wink, and to Keith’s horror, Shiro had sent his roommate off with his boyfriend, assuring them that Matt would keep him company that night (although they would probably just pass out as soon as they got home).

Keith and Lance took a Lyft back to Lance’s apartment after saying their goodbyes. Blessedly, Keith had started to sober up and was able to make it inside without stumbling, although Lance had him pressed up against the wall almost immediately anyway. Keith responded in kind, biting and tugging at his lower lip and pushing his jacket off his shoulders. It fell to the floor with a dull thump and they pulled apart, chests heaving slightly.

“Sorry,” Lance chuckled, a bit embarrassed, as he leaned his forehead against Keith’s collarbone. “Is this…okay?”

Keith nodded and let out a quiet “Yeah…”

Lance sucked briefly at his collarbone before lifting his head again. They kissed and bumped their way to his bedroom where they fell onto the bed, and Keith was still tipsy enough to let it get a little sloppy.

“Have you ever done it with a guy before?” Keith murmured as he hooked his index fingers into Lance’s belt loops.

Lance shook his head. “I’ve, uh…only kissed a couple guys.”

“That’s okay.” Keith’s hands trailed upwards now, and he could feel Lance shiver under his fingertips as he trailed them over his abs. In a sudden, fluid movement, he hooked his legs around Lance’s waist and pushed at his shoulder to flip him on his back, grinding their hips together teasingly. “I can bottom but…I’ll take the lead for today, yeah?”

Lance blushed all the way to his ears. “Y-yeah…yeah sounds good.”

Keith smirked, satisfied to not be the only blushing mess that night, and leaned down to kiss him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY DID THE DO. By the way, yes, Keith slept on the couch when Shiro told him to come to bed because he's feeling conflicted about dating Lance but still sleeping in the same bed as Shiro. But he can't sleep on the couch forever (well okay it's Keith so he probably could but he SHOULDN'T) so he's gotta figure out his shit soon. i tried to make this chapter like very soft klance but also in character, so hope I did okay~
> 
> Do it Right - Martin Solveig ft Tkay Maidza


	8. Netflix and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're finally starting to see the beginnings of the OT3, but things are going to be awkward for a while

Keith awoke the next morning, wrapped around Lance, contented and a little bit sore. Lance liked to sleep sprawled out, limbs askew, and the only reason Keith stayed on the bed the whole night was by clinging to him.

“I should sleep by the wall next time,” Keith muttered as he shifted against Lance’s chest. The fresh scent of soap and shampoo filled his nostrils and he breathed in deep, pressing his face further into the fabric of Lance’s t-shirt. The other boy stirred for the first time that morning at the subtle movement and made a few incomprehensible noises as he rolled to his side and wrapped Keith up in his arms. “Um…morning?”

“G’morning,” Lance murmured, tilting his head down to look at Keith with a warm smile. It felt as bright as sunshine and warning bells went off in Keith’s head as he felt his heart go soft.

_Don’t get attached._

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Lance brushed his bangs back and peered at his averted eyes. “Is your back okay?”

“It’s fine! I’m…I’m fine,” Keith assured him, pushing himself back just an inch. “I just…think I should probably get going soon.” He pried himself away, ignoring the slightly disappointed look on Lance’s face, and rolled off the bed. Lance watched him curiously as he fumbled around the room, changing his clothes. Out in the living room, he looked around for his motorcycle helmet before the events of the night before came back. He let out an audible groan.

“Need a ride home?” Keith looked up from his phone towards Lance leaning against the wall in the entranceway.

“No, it’s ok, I don’t want to be a bother.” Keith started tapping away at his phone again. “I’ll just call a Lyft or something…”

“Keith.” Lance’s voice was closer this time—much closer, and by the time Keith looked up again he had already crossed the room and was leaning into his space. “It’s not a bother. You’re acting weird…”

Keith glanced towards the doorknob, and it didn’t go unnoticed. He was boxed in against the door now, Lance’s hand pressed firmly against it to prevent his escape. With a deep, shuddery breath, he finally pocketed his phone.

“Lance, I’m scared,” Keith whispered, afraid his voice would break if he talked any louder.

“Hey…” Lance’s brow furrowed, concern in his eyes as his free hand lifted to stroke Keith’s cheek. Keith bit his lip as he leaned into the touch, savoring it. “What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t want to hurt you…” Something tightened around his heart like a vice grip and squeezed as Keith turned his head to press a kiss into Lance’s palm.

“Woah, hey, slow down.” Lance leaned down just a little so he could look Keith in the eye. “What are you talking about?”

Lance held his face in both hands now, and Keith stared back up at him, willing his eyes not to tear up. The tightness in his chest was unbearable. “I don’t know if I can do this…I still love Shiro. I can’t let him go, but I really care about you.” His hand reached up to clutch at his shirt. “It’s not fair to lead you on, so I thought it’d be better if this didn’t go any further…”

“Wait, wait, wait, stop.” Keith started as Lance’s entire palm pressed against his lips. “This is a lot. Can we please just…sit down and talk about this?” Lance dropped his hand down to grasp at Keith’s, and he didn’t resist when Lance pulled him back into the apartment and onto the couch. Lance sat them down facing each other, one leg each folded on top of the cushions.

“Why do you like me anyway?” Keith mumbled, more to his hands than to Lance.

“Keith, I’m not upset you still love Shiro.” Lance’s voice sounded stern as he tipped Keith’s chin up with a thumb and curled forefinger. “I’m glad you gave me this chance to know you. But I won’t put up with you talking about yourself like that.” His expression turned soft now. “You’re gorgeous…talented, funny, and despite acting like an emotionless asshole, you’re _kind._ ”

A mixture of ugly emotions welled up inside Keith and he looked up into Lance’s eyes with his own watery ones, threatening to overflow. He usually locked this side of himself away, even from Shiro. When it was the two of them, they commiserated in their own traumas without any mention of feelings. But Lance was stubborn, even about his affections, and reached down somewhere deep inside Keith and forced him to be vulnerable.

“You know, I do have little nephlings so not to toot my own horn but I’m pretty good at comforting.” Lance offered a crooked smile and that put Keith over the edge. With no more energy to hold back, Keith simply fell against him with a sob, and the tears just kept coming.

“There, there,” Lance soothed, tucking Keith’s head under his chin as he pulled him into his lap. The sobs slowly turned to sniffles and Lance just kept rubbing circles on his back until finally he was calm again. “Feel better now?”

Keith wiped his eyes and retreated to his side of the couch with a sniff. “You saw nothing.”

Lance smiled and pulled his fingers across his lips like a zipper.

“You know, Shiro asked why I couldn’t just date you both, but I don’t think that would be fair to either of you. I feel selfish for thinking I might even sort of want that...”

“Holy shit, Keith!” Lance clutched at his hair in exasperation. “I don’t mean to be blunt, but life didn’t exactly give you a great draw here. _Be_ a little more selfish!”

“Does that mean it’s ok for me to sleep in the same bed as Shiro?” Keith asked meekly. “Since I’ve, uh…sort of been sleeping on the couch.”

Lance inhaled deeply and held it, fingers steepled in front of his face. “Sleeping on the couch, _aye caramba…_ Do you want to date both of us? Is that what you want?”

“That sounds so ridiculous…” Keith dodged. Lance leaned over and cornered him against the armrest. Keith tried to back away, but Lance only followed him until he could go no further, his gaze almost impossible to avoid.

“It’s not ridiculous. I know plenty of poly-whatchamacallit people. Give me a good reason why not.”

“I don’t even know how to really be a boyfriend for one person, let alone two!” Keith groaned, finally unable to bear it and covering his eyes with his hands. “I’ll end up not knowing how to spend my time and then just avoid both of you…”

“Then I’ll be Shiro’s boyfriend, too.”

Keith peeked through his fingers. “You’re joking, right?” But Lance’s expression was uncharacteristically serious. He grabbed one of Keith’s wrists and pulled it fully away from his face.

“If Shiro’s okay with it, I’m okay with it,” Lance promised. “Why don’t we at least try…okay?”

Keith sighed as he dropped his other hand into his lap and stared off into the distance somewhere past Lance’s shoulder. The hand on his wrist moved to lace their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze. With a final sniff and pursed lips, Keith looked back to Lance and gave a short nod.

-

Keith’s head was spinning by the time Lance dropped him off at his apartment. As he walked to his door, he half hoped Matt was still there so he could put off this awkward conversation even a minute later. Of course, he had no such luck. Shiro looked up from his laptop at the sound of the door opening.

“Well, how’d it go last night?” he grinned cheekily as Keith toed off his shoes.

“Don’t smirk like that, it doesn’t suit you,” Keith huffed as he stomped over and flopped onto the couch next to him. “…It went fine though. We fucked.”

“Don’t be crude, Keith.”

Keith just grunted and crossed his arms. A beat later, he gave in to gravity and dropped his head onto Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro shut his laptop with a questioning hum and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Keith took a slow, deep breath before speaking.

“I’m gonna ask you something, and it’s gonna sound kind of weird.” Keith spoke while staring dead ahead at the wall in front of him. “So, Lance and I talked and, um…how would you feel about, like…being our boyfriend?”

Shiro blinked. “Like…a threesome?”

“It’s not about sex!” Keith scowled and finally moved to shove at Shiro’s shoulder. “B-but yeah…like a threesome, I guess…”

Shiro laughed while apologizing, pulling a grumpy Keith back against his side. “You already know I wouldn’t mind sharing you. If the three of us could spend time together though, isn’t that even better for me? Of course I’d be willing to try it.”

Keith curled his legs up on the couch with a little grumble. Of course, he’d already known what Shiro’s answer would be. Shiro, who did just about anything to make Keith happy. Shiro, who definitely had a big enough heart to split between two, but never gave his to anyone except _Keith._ Of course he’d be okay with it.

“You’re scared, Keith.” It wasn’t a question, like with Lance. It was a statement, matter of fact.

Keith nodded. Shiro’s arm squeezed around him just a little bit tighter.

“No matter what happens, how this turns out…I’ll be right beside you. Always,” Shiro promised solemnly. “So don’t be scared. Let’s just take this a little at a time, okay? Be patient.”

-

“Hey, why don’t you ask Lance if he wants to come over for a movie?” Shiro asked one Friday. Keith eyed him suspiciously.

“Are you…are you inviting him over to Netflix and chill?”

“I don’t know what that means,” Shiro shrugged nonchalantly. Keith gawked. “I’m kidding! Kidding. I know what Netflix and chill means, I’m not that old.”

Keith huffed but pulled out his phone and shot off a text without argument. It buzzed just minutes later, with a response from Lance saying he’d come over soon. In a panic, Keith grabbed the car keys and started pulling his shoes on.

“Where are you going?” Shiro sounded bewildered.

“Alcohol,” was all Keith offered in explanation. “Lance. Over soon. Can’t be sober.”

Shiro just stared after him in confusion as the door slammed shut behind him. It wasn’t long before he came back with a 6-pack of beers and a fifth of vodka. He dropped both of them down on the kitchen counter and pointed to the beers.

“Those are for you and Lance.” He hugged the vodka protectively. “This is for me.”

“Keith…” Shiro admonished, but there was already a shot glass on the table and Keith quickly poured himself one. He threw the shot back and slammed the glass back down on the table with a hiss, managing to get one more shot down before Shiro wrestled the bottle away from him. He rummaged through the fridge and pulled out a can of Sprite for Keith, who took it gratefully to wash down the taste of shitty cheap vodka.

“You good?” Shiro raised an eyebrow. Keith paused with the can raised to his lips, staring at the bottle for a while.

“One more,” he demanded quietly.

“One _half,”_ Shiro insisted, swiping the shot glass with his free hand and pouring it halfway full. “You’re a lightweight, don’t get wasted before Lance even gets here.”

Keith frowned but he couldn’t argue with that, taking the half-shot with slightly less vigor than before. He didn’t notice the taste as much now, but he still took a swig of chaser with a grimace. There was a knock on the door then, and Keith almost threw the shot glass in the sink. Shiro’s heavy hand on his shoulder steadied him, and he stood in the kitchen staring at the counter as Shiro went to answer the door.

“Hey Shiro—woah! What’s up with Keith?”

Keith slumped over onto the counter and looked over to Lance with half-lidded eyes. “Hey, babe.”

Lance glanced over to the already open bottle of vodka next to him. “Oh no.”

“Keith decided he couldn’t be sober for this,” Shiro winced as he handed Lance a beer. “Which I guess is fair.”

“True, I’d be weirded out in his situation,” Lance nodded sagely.

“You guys know, and yet you still made me do this,” Keith grumbled as he moved across the room to sit on the couch. He grabbed the remote and started up the TV, clicking through a few screens until he landed on Netflix.

“Oh my God, are we Netflix and chi-“

“ _Don’t_ say anything.” Keith abruptly pointed the remote in Lance’s direction. The offender put his hands up in surrender, beer still in one of them, and sat down next to Keith without a word.

“So, what are we watching?” Shiro asked as he set himself down on Keith’s other side after setting the rest of the beers on the coffee table.

“Well, Keith isn’t going to remember anything anyway so let’s watch something brainless.”

“Hey!” Keith protested as his scrolling stopped on ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.’

“Are we watching a chick flick?” Lance snorted as he took a swig of beer.

“Yes, we’re watching a chick flick,” Keith replied adamantly, grabbing Lance’s beer and taking a long sip before handing it back.

“Hey, get your own!”

Keith stuck his tongue out and leaned further into Shiro’s space as he clicked play. Keith propped his legs up onto Lance’s lap as he tucked himself completely under Shiro’s arm. There were a few grimaces throughout the opening scenes, but before long, the three of them were seriously discussing who they shipped with Lara Jean.

Empty beers began to litter the table in front of them, and a good ways into the movie, Lance had somehow ended up sprawled across the couch between Keith’s legs, his feet dangling off the armrest, with Keith practically in Shiro’s lap. Despite his earlier comments, Lance was now staring at the screen intensely, occasionally giving a gasp or a ‘No way!’ here and there.

The movie ended with Lance’s arms wrapped around Keith’s waist, ear pressed against his stomach as he stared at the screen slack-jawed.

“Okay, that was actually a really cute movie,” he admitted as he craned his neck to look up towards Keith. “Good pick, babe.”

“Mhmmm,” Keith blushed, pursing his lips. “I sobered up, and I wish I didn’t because your face is pretty much in my crotch.”

“Oh shit, sorry!” Lance jumped up as Shiro laughed uproariously.

“Lance, do you want to stay the night?” Shiro asked, wiping a tear from his eye. “It’s pretty late now.”

“Um, sure, if that’s okay with you guys. I can just take the couch…”

“Oh no, I can’t let you do that. The bed’s big enough for three,” Shiro smiled in a dangerous sort of way.

“I need a nightcap,” Keith announced with a groan as he swung himself off the couch and made for the vodka again. He could hear Lance protesting a little, but it was in vain against Shiro. And then, Lance was beside him, holding out his hand with a sigh. It took a second for Keith to realize what he meant, and he handed over the bottle. Lance put it to his lips and took a long pull.

The three of them fit easily on the king-sized bed—it was infinitely better than squeezing onto Lance’s twin mattress, at the very least. Keith found himself in the middle again, which was fine by him, since he tended to run cold.

“Holy shit, Shiro’s hot,” Lance went wide-eyed as Shiro stripped his shirt off. “I mean, I sort of already knew that but it’s different seeing it—”

“Lance, please shut up,” Keith groaned. “I’m feeling awkward enough as it is.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Keith toppled into bed, feeling a bit woozy from the alcohol, and buried himself in the blankets up to his ears. The bed shifted and creaked beneath him as the other two climbed in on either side. He peeked his head out and breathed in a long breath of cool air. Maybe it was the alcohol dulling his thoughts, but it felt surprisingly natural to share the space with both of them—tucked against Lance’s side with his head resting on his shoulder, and Shiro’s comforting weight behind him, one muscular arm draped over both of them. Alarms were going off somewhere in the back of his mind, but both his body and his eyelids felt heavy, so Keith gave in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Netflix and Chill - Marley Marcus
> 
> There are literally so many songs called "Netflix and Chill" but I like this one lol
> 
> A lot of my chapters have been ending with going to sleep lately. Anyway I'm still alive, just been really busy lately! Probably gonna try to wrap this up pretty soon.


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